Police find weapons, squalor in Idaho home

Police find weapons,squalor in Idaho home SANDPOINT, Idaho -- Sheriff's deputies have recovered ammunition and five guns amid the feces-strewn squalor where the six McGuckin children lived in the north Idaho woods. The arrest of their mother, JoAnn, last week prompted the children to hole up in the ramshackle home for five days, keeping officials at bay with the help of their 27 dogs. The children surrendered to sheriff's deputies Saturday and were taken to a hospital. A hearing was scheduled today to determine if they should remain in state custody or be returned to her care. JoAnn McGuckin, 46, was arrested on a felony child neglect charge. But on Monday Judge Barbara Buchanan said she would release her if McGuckin agreed to not violate custodial orders involving six of her children and not to contact them without authorization. During their initial search of the property Monday, prosecutor Phil Robinson said Bonner County sheriff's deputies recovered the firearms and found a house littered with dog feces. Detectives also found a full bucket in the bathroom that the children were using as an indoor toilet after the home's water was shut off, he said, adding that the stench was overwhelming. Today's hearing will determine where the children will stay for the next 30 days. A decision on where they will live after that is to follow. University's cloned cowdies in Tennessee KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The third cow cloned from adult cells born in the United States was found dead in a pasture, and researchers don't know how it died. Born nine months ago, Millie, short for millennium, also was the first clone of a Jersey cow, a top milk-producing breed, and the first using standard cell-culturing techniques. Millie had been out in a pasture at the University of Tennessee's Experiment Station in Knoxville. She was found dead there early Monday. Except for a slight variation in the size of one her kidneys, the cow showed no visible signs of abnormalities, said veterinary pathologists Philip Bochsler and Malcolm McCracken, who performed a necropsy. "We don't know why she died," said Patricia Clark, a spokeswoman for the university's Institute of Agriculture. Nepalese police imposecurfew to halt riots KATMANDU, Nepal -- Police moved today to avert more riots against new King Gyanendra, imposing a 12-hour curfew and warning Nepalese -- who are infuriated by a lack of explanation of a royal massacre -- that anybody going out could be shot. An investigation into the shooting spree that killed the king and queen and eight other royals failed to start by this afternoon as planned. Members of the panel quarreled over how to proceed -- a delay that could heighten tensions. About two dozen people, their heads shaven in a traditional Hindu show of respect for the dead, were arrested as they marched toward the royal palace carrying flags and demanding answers about the Himalayan nation's tragedy. Although there was no rioting immediately reported today, police clamped down with a noon-to-midnight curfew, just six hours after an earlier curfew was lifted. Nepalese who ventured into the streets for their six hours of freedom were full of criticism for Gyanendra, who took the throne Monday after Crown Prince Dipendra reportedly killed the royals Friday. Many here say Gyanendra lost credibility by blaming the shootings on "accidental" automatic weapon fire. Endorsements for Blair LONDON -- Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labor Party today captured its first endorsement from the conservative-minded Times newspaper, reinforcing predictions that the party is headed toward a second straight landslide. The Financial Times also endorsed Labor today, leaving a handful of staunchly right-wing tabloids as the Conservative Party's only strong supporters just two days before election day. The Times, Britain's oldest daily newspaper, announced it was giving "a cautious but clear endorsement for the Labor Party" for the first time since the party was founded in 1900. The paper said Blair's first term saw a continuation of "many elements" of former Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's economic policy -- including resistance to inflation and new taxes. It applauded Labor pledges for more investment in public services, while strongly opposing Labor's desire for closer integration with Europe. However, the newspaper expressed confidence that an expected referendum on joining the single European currency would either be delayed or defeated. Associated Press